A Brief History of French Music

In order to make a great emphasis in the French Music here is a brief summary can make you wonder why you didn’t see that coming before. 

French Opera: everyone could think that Italy is most famous cause of its Opera Music but a lot of French musicians composed great pieces in the 17th century even though the first one appeared during the mid-17^th century exactly. Paris had a huge interesting in this kind of music where “Carmen” was really appreciated for the classic music lovers which was composed by a French George Bizet. However, Jean-Baptiste Lully was one of the major users of the common bits patterns and they’re still part of the modern classic music. The “ballets” were composed by Lully for the King Rey Luis XVI and during this reing Italian-style opera began to flourish in France.

Baroque Period: operas wasn't the only music style of the 17^th century. The Baroque came out a way in which French people could dance and enjoy a melody without following a story line. Jean-Philippe Rameau was the most famous for his magister in clavichord a popular instrument. He also introduced the clarinet in the orchestra which wasn’t common at that time. Jacques Champion de Chambonnières was another renowned musician of the age.

Rebellion against the Baroque: in the French music emerged the “Rococo” style that was a reaction of the formal Baroque style and it was very popular between 1725 and 1775. This kind of music was less formal and has a lot of feelings and emotions. The composer Francois Couperin best known as a huge keyboard composer made his reputation during this age. This kind of music didn´t die it still lives in others compositions like the ones of Mozart.

Classical French Music: best known as the Romantic Era. French composers had a huge impact in this time than in other. Hector Berlioz was a pioneer and sometimes he worked with 1000 musicians at the same time. Ravel and Debussy created masterpieces that were not only appreciated in France but the whole world also they inspired others musicians.

Folk Music: it doesn’t exist a particular history about the Folk Music because of his regional nature. This kind of music is more developed as a series of folk music types in different regions of the country. In southern regions, the folk music resembled Spanish or Italian folk music, and in the eastern mountains, Swiss or German influences played a role in folk music. The North of France, as well as the Atlantic Coast, each had fairly individualized genres of folk music that were part of the local community and artistic life.

Popular Music: it began in the 19th century, but carried over into the 20th century before changing genres. This atmosphere metamorphosed into the French 'chanson', which is still a popular genre of French song today, usually on the topic of love. Famous artists of the popular music scene include the unforgettable Edith Piaf, classics like Georges Brassens, and rockers like Johnny Hallyday. Near the end of the 20th century, music from Northern Africa migrated to France, as well as American hip hop; both have enjoyed a certain degree of popularity, with hip hop becoming a full genre of French rap in the 1990s.